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Guidance for forestry organisations in the use of environmental management system standards

First published as HB 144:1999

HB144:1999

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Standards Australia Users of this Handbook are reminded that copyright subsists in all Standards Australia publications. Except where the Copyright Act allows, no publication produced by Standards Australia may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or transmitted by any means without prior permission in writing from Standards Australia. Permission may be conditional on an appropriate royalty payment. Requests for permission should be directed to the head office of Standards Australia

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HB144:1999

Preface

Following the introduction and acceptance by the world community of the Environmental Management System standards, the ISO 14000 series, supporting and guidance documents are being produced to help organisations implement appropriate systems. This document was developed by the international committee ISO/TC 207 Environmental Management. Working Group 2 Forestry. This publication includes information on the use of the ISO 14000 standards in the forestry industry in other countries with particular emphasis on sustainable forestry management. It provides an extensive bibliography of technical references, conventions and policies on sustainable forestry management, and includes a number of case studies. The publication does not establish performance levels for forestry nor can it form the basis for performance claims or a product label. Identical to ISO TR 14061:1998, Information to assist forestry organizations in the use of Environmental Management System standards ISO 14001 and ISO 14004, this publication is intended for information and reference only and does not represent Standard Australias stance on any of the issues discussed. A joint Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand subcommittee, QR/11/1, on forest management provided input to ISO/TC 207/WG 2 during preparation of the ISO Technical Report. Interests represented on QR/11/1 were:
n n n n n n n n n n n n n

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Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Corporation Department of Industry Science and Tourism State Forests of New South Wales Australian Forest Grower Department of Urban Affairs and Planning Department of Primary Industries and Energy Forestry Australia Greenpeace Australia Department of Environment, Sport and Territories Plantations Australia ACT New Zealand, Parliament Buildings National Parks and Wildlife Service Forest Industries Association of Tasmania

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HB144:1999

HB144:1999

Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 1 2 3 4 5
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Scope ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Terms and definitions .............................................................................................................. 2 The ISO 14000 series of standards .......................................................................................... 3 Reference material for forestry organizations .......................................................................... 4 Relationship between SFM principles, intergovernmental Criteria & Indicators and a forestry organizations environmental management system ................................................................ 7 Small-scale forest ownerships and operations ........................................................................ 13 Self-declaration, second-party auditing, and third-party certification of a forestry organizations environmental management system ............................................................... 13 Communication ..................................................................................................................... 14 Outline of referenced ISO 14000 series of standards and related documents ........................ 15 Examples of technical references to SFM ............................................................................... 17 Introduction to case studies ................................................................................................... 33 South African case studyImplementation of an ISO 14001 EMS into a plantation forestry company ................................................................................................................................ 41 Organization of small-scale forest ownerships and operations ............................................... 49

6 7 8 A B C E F

Annexes

D Brazilian case studyImplementation of an ISO 14001 EMS in a eucalyptus plantation ....... 35

G Finnish case studyAn environmental management system based on ISO 14001 for small-scale family forestry in Finland ...................................................................................... 51 H French case studyEnvironmental management system certification for private forest ownerships using an ISO 14001 EMS developed and implemented at the regional level under the direction of public authorities ............................................................................... 59 I Austrian case studyForest owners planned approachCooperative action among forest owners to develop a model EMS which can be implemented by individual forest owners ......................................................................................................................... 63

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HB144:1999

HB144:1999

Introduction

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Sustainable forest management (SFM) has emerged as a major global issue. Forest management issues came into sharp focus during the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). A non-legally-binding authoritative statement of principles for a global consensus on the management, conservation, and sustainable development of all types of forests was adopted. Since UNCED, there have been numerous govern-mental and non-governmental initiatives involving interested parties addressing forest management, including the development of SFM principles, and intergovernmental Criteria & Indicators. Forestry is unique in the degree to which it has been subject to the development of international and domestic principles, criteria, and indicators for sustainable management. All international initiatives define SFM in broad terms that include ecological, social, and economic aspects. Concurrent with the UNCED process, the ISO Strategic Advisory Group on the Environment (SAGE) recommended the establishment of ISO Technical Committee 207 (TC 207) to develop the ISO 14000 series of International standards addressing environmental management systems and tools, applicable to all kinds of organizations. ISO 14001 provides the requirements, and ISO 14004 the guidance, for implementation of environmental management systems that contribute to better management of an organizations significant environmental aspects and impacts of its activities, products, and services. In response to the developments outlined above, forestry organizations can implement ISO 14001 while seeking consistency with the various intergovernmental and non-governmental sets of SFM principles and criteria and indicators. This Technical Report seeks to preserve the integrity and applicability of the generic ISO 14001, while providing forestry organizations with informative reference material outlining international and national develop-ments in the forestry sector that can assist forestry organizations in implementing the generic International Standard for an environmental management system.

HB144:1999

Information to assist forestry organizations in the use of Environmental Management System standards ISO 14001 and ISO 14004

1 Scope
This Technical Report is designed to be used in conjunction with ISO 14001 and ISO 14004. It provides a link between the management system approach of ISO 14001 and the range of forest policy and forest management performance objectives, including SFM principles and intergovernmental Criteria & Indicators, that a forestry organization can consider. It also provides references to the ISO 14000 series of International Standards, application of forestry laws and regulations, and the other matters that a forestry organization can take into consideration as it implements an environmental management system. This Technical Report, like ISO 14001, does not propose any forestry-specific requirements. Its content is not normative in any sense, but is intended to be informative. Moreover, it does not establish performance levels for forest management. This Technical Report therefore cannot form the basis for environmental performance claims and does not create a product label.

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2 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this Technical Report, the terms and definitions given in ISO 14050 and the following apply. 2.1 environmental aspectelement of an organizations activities, products or services that can interact with the environment.
NOTE: A significant environmental aspect is an environmental aspect that has or can have a significant environmental impact.

2.2 environmental impactany change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an organizations activities, products or services. 2.3 environmental management system EMSthe part of the overall management system that includes organizational structure, planning activities, responsibil-ities, practices, procedures, processes and resources for developing, implementing, achieving, reviewing and maintaining the environmental policy.
NOTE: For the purposes of this Technical Report, the abbreviation EMS is used specifically in reference to ISO 14001:1996.

2.4 forestgenerally considered to be a plant community of predominantly trees and other woody vegetation growing together, its land, flora and fauna, their interrelationships, and the resources and values attributed to it.
NOTE: Forests vary greatly around the world depending on the climate, soil, history and culture of the country involved. Many countries have a definition of forest included in legislation.

2.5 organizationcompany, corporation, firm, enterprise, authority or institution, or part or combination thereof, whether incorporated or not, public or private, that has its own functions and administration.
NOTE: For organizations with more than one operating unit, a single operating unit may be defined as an organization.

2.6 principles, criteria and indicatorsinternational, national and private sector initiatives, whether governmental or non-governmental, provide a common hierarchical framework including Principles, criteria and indicators for evaluating progress towards achieving SFM

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HB 144:1999, Guidance for forestry organisations in the use of environmental management system standards

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